Time Flies
by Amberdiamondswords
Summary: Clank never thought that time could fly by so quickly. It seemed like yesterday that he was coming from a robot factory on Quartu and escaping in a shuttle. But that was seventy years ago. What he had to focus on now was the present, and how someone very dear to him was currently in a hospital room.


**Weekly Oneshot #23: Time Flies**

Time really does fly, doesn't it?

Clank blinked as the bright lights of the hospital hallway flicked once or twice before settling on a solid lighting. His feet swung back and forth slightly as he waited patiently for the door next to him open. He kept looking back and forth for someone, anyone to tell him that it was alright to go in. Who was he here to see? Well...he was here to see a friend. A rather good friend of his. Someone that would cause him to feel horrible if he wasn't here for. That was why he was sitting ever so patiently in this noisy hospital.

As he sat there, a nurse came by, rolling a shiny silver cart that had several dishes on it. Clank watched the cart by, and as it did, he caught a very nice reflection of himself. He tilted his head as he took a good look at the robot in the reflection. He smiled. If his past self saw him like this, then he most likely wouldn't have been able to tell that it was him at all.

His appearance had changed quite a bit ever since the old days. His once shining silver casing had quite a few patches of reddish brown rust. That wasn't all, though. After fighting many fierce battles, he was also covered in scratches and had two or three permanent dents. Some body parts had to be changed entirely as well, but the most noticeable was his right arm and left eye. His arm was a now dull gold, also covered in scratches, and his left eye was not a brilliant green like its twin, but rather a light blue. Yes, past Clank would be quite confused if he saw him like this. But fights really did take a toll on people, not just emotionally, but physically.

However, though he was rusting, had a gold arm and a blue eye, the face, body, and appearance of the legs, feet, and one arm was still the same. He was still the warbot defect that had popped out of the assembly all of that time ago. Clank chuckled to himself. He remembered that day well. But it happened so long ago that it almost felt like a dream at this point. Sometimes he had to convince himself that it had actually happened. Heh, that was an old model for him.

Clank chuckled again. Not because of his slowly-becoming-faulty memory. It was because he was using his appearance and function to distract himself from why he was here. That was something that he had been keeping out of his mind ever since he had arrived here. The event that had happened wasn't exactly a thrilling tale that someone would expect from an intergalactic hero. No, what happened was simple. The little warbot had been on top of a step ladder, cleaning some dishes, it seemed like a normal day. But, things seemed to take a turn for the worst when he had heard a large 'thud' and he found a body on the floor. Clank had panicked and quickly called an ambulance. It had been roughly three hours since then, and he was still waiting to see his condition. Whose condition was he waiting to see? He was waiting to see-

"Mr. Clank?" A nurse asked quietly, placing a hand on Clank's rusty shoulder. The warbot looked up at her, "You can go in and see him now. But..."

"But what?" Clank asked, tilting his head.

"..." The nurse stayed quiet for several moments before giving a small smile, "Nothing."

The nurse left Clank alone, and the robot scooted off of his seat, making a small 'clank' noise as his feet hit the floor. He turned and looked at the large door (well, it was large to him). It was slightly ajar so he could get in. Clank stood up straight and, if he were organic, attempted to take a deep breath. He walked over to the door and opened it just slightly more so he could fit through it. It was kind of dark in there, in the room. The only light there was was coming from the window, where the orange glow of the sunset was coming through. It was kind of pleasant, though.

Clank couldn't see from where he was, so he went to the side of the hospital bed and jumped, grabbing onto the side of it. He kicked his feet as he struggled to get on top of it. These servos weren't what they used to be. But, thanks to his new(ish...not really) arm, the robot managed to pull himself up. He rested for several seconds before sitting up on his knees and looking at his friend. His best friend. And seeing him made his optics lower a bit.

Ratchet was sitting up, his back against the pillow that he was provided, and his body draped in a comfortable teal hospital robe. There were several tubes attached to him, and he was hooked up to a heart monitor, which gave a steady melody of beeps. Ratchet's green eyes seemed to stare with wonder as he watched the sunset, but he looked away once Clank got on the bed. He smiled at his friend, and Clank smiled back. Clank still couldn't believe how much Ratchet had grown. He had grown a little over two feet since he had first met him. Actually, he had grown so much that his aviator cap no longer fitted him, so he had been going without it for quite awhile. His adult fur coat was very fine, and it had even brought for new stripes to his design: two one one cheek and two on the other. There wasn't a day where Clank thought the exact same thought: Ratchet looked just like his father.

The small warbot scooted up next to the Lombax and simply sat next to him. Then he looked at him, wondering what was going to happen next. Ratchet's smile seemed to fade away as he looked back out the window and at the sunset. Clank frowned and tilted his head, also looking outside. The Lombax seemed very intrigued with today's sunset. Yes, it was a very beautiful sight, and he could honestly look at it all day, but it seemed a little strange for Ratchet to be so interested in it.

"Hehh..."

Clank jumped a bit as Ratchet let out a breath. A breath that seemed to be forced and struggled with at the same time. Finally, he pried his eyes off of the sunset and looked back down at Clank, who was there for him if he needed anything. The Lombax then reached forward and grabbed the robot's hand, his real hand, and not the new one. Clan blinked as the furry hand grabbed the back of his own and brought it up. Suddenly, Ratchet's other hand came over and landed on top of Clank's palm. The warbot tilted his head as something was placed in his hand. Ratchet's hands then slid away, and Clank saw what he had left: his pocketwatch. The one that Alister Azimuth once owned.

The warbot gasped a bit, and he opened it up to confirm that it was the right one. It was. The very worn out picture of Kaden and Alister laid in there with the broken gears. But there was one other picture in there, one that Ratchet had added long ago. It was a small square picture tucked in the side of the circular frame. It was a picture of the duo when they were younger. They were both in front of the garage that they used to work at, working on the rocketsled together. They took this about...seventy years ago.

Clank knew that it was the pocketwatch alright, but...why...?

Clank looked up and was about to ask why Ratchet was giving this to him, but he was stopped by a bony orange hand being placed on his head and having his antenna nuzzled. Ratchet was looking at him and smiling as he rubbed his pal on the head. Clank smiled at the affection that he was receiving, but his smile quickly vanished as the hand slipped off and landed on the bed. Ratchet's whole body then relaxed, his eyes closed, and his breathing stopped...and everything went quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the heart monitor flat-lining.

Clank's eyes, both green and blue, went wide. He quickly grabbed Ratchet's arm and began to shake him, hoping that he would wake up, but he never did. He never would again. The small robot narrowed his eyes in a very sad position as his shoulders dropped. He scooted closer to Ratchet and rested his head on the Lombax's chest. As he sat there, pocket watch tight in his hand, waiting for some sort of heartbeat to hit his audio sensors, he looked out the window at the quickly disappearing sunset. No wonder that Ratchet was so interested in it. Because it was the last one that he was ever going to see.

* * *

 **And you guys thought that "Don't Fade Away" was sad.**

 **And that's all I'm going to say because I am in freaking tears after reading this. Seriously, I haven't cried this hard while writing a story since Violet Eyes.**

 **Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster shaped tissue box!**

 **This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, pledger to Tobuscus, signing off!**


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